Toothbrush

ABSTRACT

A toothbrush includes a neck formed between a head and a handle and curved to protrude towards a front surface of the toothbrush. A through hole is formed through both front and rear surfaces of the neck. A bending prevention portion is formed in the neck, located at each of opposite sides on an outer circumference of the through hole to be curved outwards along the outer circumference thereof, and spaced apart from both sides of the neck by a predetermined interval to define a predetermined space. The elastic member is filled in the through hole and is coupled to be superposed on a rear surface of the handle. An elastic groove is formed in a rear surface of an upper portion of the elastic member to be opposite to the through hole.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application claims foreign priority under Paris Convention to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0136870, filed 10 Oct. 2014, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a toothbrush. More particularly, the present invention relates to a toothbrush, which provides an elastic force to a toothbrush neck so that a head may be flexibly moved without the toothbrush neck being broken or deformed by a tooth brushing force during toothbrushing.

2. Description of the Related Art

The present invention is directed to a toothbrush.

A conventional toothbrush is generally formed of plastic, so that it is inflexible. In addition, the toothbrush is manufactured to have an integrated structure. Thus, the conventional toothbrush is problematic in that the neck is deformed or broken by a tooth brushing force if the head is not moved flexibly during toothbrushing.

Further, if the toothbrush has no elastic force and thereby the head is not moved flexibly, the teeth and the gums are undesirably strained during toothbrushing.

As the related art of the present invention, Korean Patent No. 10-1175140 has been proposed. This discloses a toothbrush that is configured to have an elastic force and thereby prevent a toothbrush neck from being broken. According to the cited document, a through hole is formed through both side surfaces of the toothbrush neck, and the through hole is filled with an elastic member, thus giving an elastic force to the toothbrush. However, the effect of the toothbrush is inadequate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush, in which a through hole is formed through a toothbrush neck and a bending prevention portion and an elastic groove are formed on opposite sides of an outer circumference of a through hole, so that the bending prevention portion and the elastic groove prevent the neck from being deformed or broken even if the neck is bent beyond a predetermined angle during toothbrushing, and in which a head is flexibly moved, thus allowing the teeth to be easily brushed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush, in which both a front surface and a rear surface are filled with an elastic member via a through hole formed in a toothbrush neck, thus allowing the toothbrush neck to be easily restored to its original state even if the toothbrush neck is bent forwards or rearwards.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush, in which an elastic groove is filled with silicone rubber that is a member softer than an elastic member, thus helping the elastic member to perform an elastic action, preventing the proliferation of mold and the contamination of the toothbrush due to a space defined in the elastic groove, and thereby making it easy to sanitarily manage the toothbrush.

In order to achieve the above objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toothbrush including a neck formed between a head and a handle and curved to protrude towards a front surface of the toothbrush; a through hole formed through both a front surface and a rear surface of the neck; a bending prevention portion formed in the neck, located at each of opposite sides on an outer circumference of the through hole to be curved outwards along the outer circumference of the through hole, and spaced apart from both sides of the neck by a predetermined interval to define a predetermined space between both the sides of the neck, with an elastic member filled in the space; the elastic member filled in the through hole and coupled to be superposed on a rear surface of the handle; and an elastic groove formed in a rear surface of an upper portion of the elastic member to be opposite to the through hole.

The bending prevention portion may be folded while protruding outwards, when the head is bent towards the rear surface of the neck.

The elastic member may be coupled to be superposed on the front surface of the neck via the through hole while being filled in the through hole.

The elastic groove may be filled with a member softer than the elastic member.

The soft member may be silicone rubber.

As is apparent from the above description, the toothbrush is advantageous in that a through hole is formed through a toothbrush neck and a bending prevention portion and an elastic groove are formed on opposite sides of an outer circumference of a through hole, so that the bending prevention portion and the elastic groove prevent the neck from being deformed or broken even if the neck is bent beyond a predetermined angle during toothbrushing, and a head is flexibly moved, thus allowing the teeth to be easily brushed.

Further, the toothbrush is advantageous in that both a front surface and a rear surface are filled with an elastic member via a through hole formed in a toothbrush neck, thus allowing the toothbrush neck to be easily restored to its original state even if the toothbrush neck is bent forwards or rearwards.

Furthermore, the toothbrush is advantageous in that an elastic groove is filled with silicone rubber that is a member softer than an elastic member, thus helping the elastic member to perform an elastic action, preventing the proliferation of mold and the contamination of the toothbrush due to a space defined in the elastic groove, and thereby making it easy to sanitarily manage the toothbrush.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toothbrush according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state where an elastic member is coupled to the toothbrush according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a rear view showing a state before the elastic member is coupled to the toothbrush according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view showing the state before the elastic member is coupled to the toothbrush according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side projection perspective view showing a state where the elastic member is coupled to the toothbrush according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view showing a state where the elastic member is coupled to the toothbrush according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view showing an elastic groove formed in the elastic member according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a view showing silicone rubber filled in the elastic groove of the elastic member according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The embodiments make the disclosure of the invention complete, and allow those skilled in the art to completely understand the scope of the invention. The same reference numerals refer to the same components throughout the specification.

A toothbrush according to the present invention includes a neck 130 that is formed between a head 110 and a handle 150, and is curved to protrude towards a front surface of the toothbrush 100. A through hole 131 is formed through both a front surface and a rear surface of the neck 130. A bending prevention portion 140 is formed at each of opposite sides on an outer circumference of the through hole 131 in a round shape. An elastic member 160 is filled in the through hole 131, and is coupled to be superposed on a rear surface of the handle 150. An elastic groove is formed in a rear surface of an upper portion of the elastic member 160 to be opposite to the through hole 131.

That is, the toothbrush 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the neck 130, the through hole 131, the bending prevention portion 140, the elastic member 160, and the elastic groove 170.

Hereinafter, the toothbrush according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toothbrush according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the toothbrush 100 includes a neck 130, a through hole 131, a bending prevention portion 140, an elastic member 160, and an elastic groove 170.

The neck 130 is formed between the head 110 and the handle 150, and is curved to protrude towards the front surface of the toothbrush 100. Such a structure solves a problem of the conventional straight toothbrush wherein its head 110 has poor flexibility and thus the neck 130 is likely to be deformed or broken, in addition to increasing the flexibility of the head 110 during toothbrushing.

The through hole 131 penetrates through the front and rear surfaces of the neck 130. Here, the through hole 131 penetrates through a curved portion of the neck 130.

The bending prevention portion 140 is formed in the neck 130, is located at each of opposite sides on the outer circumference of the through hole 131 to have a round shape along the outer circumference of the through hole 131, and is spaced apart from both sides of the neck 130 by a predetermined interval to define a predetermined space 132 between both the sides of the neck 130, with an elastic member 160 filled in the space 132.

The elastic member 160 is coupled to be superposed on the rear surface of the handle 150 while being filled in the through hole 131. In this case, the elastic member 160 is also coupled to be superposed on the front surface of the neck 130 while being filled in the through hole 131. In other words, the elastic member 160 is coupled to be superposed on both the front and rear surfaces of the neck 130 while being filled in the through hole 131 of the neck 130, thus further increasing the elastic force of the neck 130.

Here, the elastic member 160 is a material having an elastic force, for example, rubber.

The elastic groove is formed in the rear surface of an upper portion of the elastic member 160 to be opposite to the through hole 131.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state where the elastic member is coupled to the toothbrush according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a rear view showing a state before the elastic member is coupled to the toothbrush according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a side perspective view showing the state before the elastic member is coupled to the toothbrush according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the through hole 131 and the bending prevention portion 140 are formed in the neck 130.

The through hole 131 is formed through both the front and rear surfaces of the neck 130. The bending prevention portion 140 is formed in the neck 130 and is located at each of the opposite sides on the outer circumference of the through hole 131 to have the round shape along the outer circumference of the through hole 131. Here, the bending prevention portions 140 are not formed on the outer circumference of the through hole 131 connected to the head 110 and the handle 150 but are formed on both sides of the neck 130 to protrude therefrom.

Each bending prevention portion 140 is formed on a portion of the outer circumference of the through hole 131 while being formed in the neck 130, and is the thinnest portion of the toothbrush 100 that is made by injection molding.

When the head 110 is bent towards the rear surface of the neck 130 during toothbrushing, the bending prevention portion 140 is folded to protrude outwards. Meanwhile, when the head 110 returns to its original position, the bending prevention portion 140 is restored to its original state, namely, the round shape.

Further, the bending prevention portion 140 serves to hold the neck 130 so that it is not bent beyond a predetermined range.

That is, in order to prevent the neck 130 from being deformed or broken when the head 110 is bent towards the front surface of the toothbrush, the bending prevention portion 140 serves to hold the neck 130 so that it is not bent beyond a predetermined angle. Further, when the head 110 is bent towards the rear surface of the toothbrush by the toothbrushing, the bending prevention portion 140 is elastically folded to protrude outwards and then restored to its original state, thus increasing the flexibility of the head 110 and preventing the neck 130 from being deformed or broken.

Further, the bending prevention portions 140 are spaced apart from both the sides of the neck 130 by a predetermined interval to define the predetermined space 132 between the bending prevention portions 140 and both the sides of the neck 130, with the elastic member 160 filled in the space 132. If the head 110 is bent towards the rear surface of the neck 130 during toothbrushing, the bending prevention portion 140 is folded to protrude outwards. In this regard, the above-mentioned configuration provides elasticity to the operation of each bending prevention portion 140 that is folded and then is restored to its original state depending on the movement of the neck 130 while surrounding the outside of the bending prevention portion 140.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the elastic member 160 is coupled to be superposed on the rear surface of the handle 150 while being filled in the through hole 131.

This increases the elastic force for restoring the head to its original state using the elastic member 160 inserted into the through hole 131, even if the neck 130 is bent backwards because the elastic member 160 is inserted into the through hole 131 when the head 110 is bent towards the neck 130 by a force generated during toothbrushing. Therefore, the flexibility of the head 110 is increased and the deformation or breakage of the neck 130 is prevented. Further, the elastic member 160 is coupled to be superposed on the rear surface of the handle 150, thus increasing a grip sensation.

Furthermore, the elastic member 160 is coupled to be superposed on the front surface of the neck 130 while being filled in the through hole. This holds the head so that it is not bent beyond a predetermined angle, and allows the head to be easily restored to its original state using the elastic force of the elastic member when the head is bent towards the rear surface of the toothbrush during toothbrushing, thus preventing the neck from being deformed or broken.

If toothbrushing is performed using the toothbrush that has no elastic member 160 and is made of a plastic material, the wrist may be slightly strained. The toothbrush of the present invention prevents the wrist from being strained and provides a stable grip sensation without slip even if a portion of the toothbrush contacting with the thumb during toothbrushing is in contact with water.

In addition, the elastic member 160 that is pushed out from both sides of the through hole 131 when the elastic member 160 is filled in the through hole 131 can be coupled to both the front and rear surfaces of the neck 130 at the same time, thus facilitating injection molding.

The elastic groove 170 is formed in the rear surface of the upper portion of the elastic member 160 to be opposite to the through hole 131, thus maximizing the elastic operation of the elastic member 160.

Further, the space defined in the elastic groove 170 is filled with the soft member corresponding thereto, thus helping the elastic groove 170 to perform the elastic action, preventing the proliferation of mold and contamination due to the contact of the space defined in the elastic groove 170 with the humidity of a bathroom, and thereby allowing the toothbrush to be sanitarily managed.

Here, the soft member preferably uses the silicone rubber 171 that is softer than the elastic member 160.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A toothbrush, comprising: a neck formed between a head and a handle, and curved to protrude towards a front surface of the toothbrush; a through hole formed through both a front surface and a rear surface of the neck; a bending prevention portion formed in the neck, located at each of opposite sides on an outer circumference of the through hole to be curved outwards along the outer circumference of the through hole, and spaced apart from both sides of the neck by a predetermined interval to define a predetermined space between both the sides of the neck, with an elastic member filled in the space; the elastic member filled in the through hole and coupled to be superposed on a rear surface of the handle; and an elastic groove formed in a rear surface of an upper portion of the elastic member to be opposite to the through hole.
 2. The toothbrush as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bending prevention portion is folded while protruding outwards, when the head is bent towards the rear surface of the neck.
 3. The toothbrush as set forth in claim 1, wherein the elastic member is coupled to be superposed on the front surface of the neck via the through hole while being filled in the through hole.
 4. The toothbrush as set forth in claim 1, wherein the elastic groove is filled with a member softer than the elastic member.
 5. The toothbrush as set forth in claim 4, wherein the soft member is silicone rubber. 